


Heart on Highwire

by missingnolovefic



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, Developing Relationship, Extra Life gave me all the feels, Fake AH Crew, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, cameos by geoff matt and steffie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2017-11-17
Packaged: 2019-02-03 11:01:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12747003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missingnolovefic/pseuds/missingnolovefic
Summary: Ryan is supposed to keep an eye on the new tech expert the crew contracted.Turns out, he likes watching Chad. A lot.





	Heart on Highwire

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LunarLover12](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunarLover12/gifts).



> Yes, the Extra Life kiss got to me, too.
> 
> For Luna, whose enthusiasm for this new ship compelled me to actually write something for them. I hope you like it, love <3

“Hey, Ryan,” Geoff called out, waving him over. Ryan glanced up from where he was working on his mini, trying to figure out what was causing the jam. It had nearly fucked them over during their last heist, and he wanted it fixed before the next one.

With a sigh he put the parts away into its case, locking it almost absentmindedly, before he went over to check what Geoff wanted.

He was talking to Steffie, Matt and a ginger Ryan's never seen before. When Ryan approached, though, Geoff looked up and broke off with a murmur, steering Ryan a good distance away. Taking his cue from him, Ryan lowered his voice as he spoke.

“What's up, boss?”

“See the new guy? That's the tech expert Gus recommended, Chad James,” Geoff explained quietly. “I need you to keep an eye on him as he revamps the security in our Southside properties.”

“Shouldn't Matt watch him, then? He's the one who wrote the software, after all,” Ryan inquired, brow knitting into a frown. Geoff shrugged.

“He doesn't know nearly as much about hardware, and he's needed on a prep job in an hour. You should know enough about tech to see if he's setting us up.”

His brow smoothed out and he nodded. He was probably one of the more tech-savvy members of the crew. Gavin knew a lot about cameras but couldn't be trusted not to be distracted, and Michael's focus was on cars and basic bombs, and while he used to be an electrician, he didn't have the patience. Ryan liked to dabble with computers and security systems, and the Southside houses held the least important of their ressources. A good place for a trial run.

“You've got it, boss.”

“Good.” Geoff clapped his shoulder, steering him to where the ginger- Chad, because thinking of him as _James_ was just plain weird - seemed to be caught up in a lively discussion with Matt, while Steffie was jotting down a list with a sigh. “Let me introduce you, then.

“Hey, Chad. This is Ryan, he's gonna show you the locations for today. Just a couple hideouts and a warehouse, don't wanna scare you off on your first day here, you know.”

“Trust me, I don't scare easily,” Chad said, eyes gleaming with laughter. He turned to Ryan with a wide smile, holding out his hand. “Hello, Ryan. Nice to meet you.”

“And you,” Ryan replied awkwardly, shaking his hand. His skin was surprisingly soft. “Ready to go?”

“Just about.” Chad's smile turned a little rueful as he looked at Steffie. “Don't worry, we can pick it up on our way-”

“Nope, no, nuh uh,” Steffie interrupted him, waving her pen in his face. “Shush. That's what we have runners for. Pretty sure we have most of this stuff, but I'll check and have it delivered to the warehouse in an hour, tops.”

“Alright,” Chad agreed, holding his hands up in surrender. He glanced at Ryan from the corner of his eyes, dropping his hands and pushing them into his jeans pockets. “Guess we should head out, so I know what I'm dealing with?”

Geoff chuckled. “You boys have fun.”

Then he made a shooing motion that had Ryan rolling his eyes, but he gestured for Chad to follow him. They took one of the black, non-descript cars that didn't scream wealthy, though this one did have dark, tinted windows. Ryan was still wearing his facepaint, after all, and it wouldn't do to get recognized on an errand. For the first ten minutes, they drove in awkward silence. Finally, Ryan broke, tapping the wheel as they stood at a red light and nothing to distract him from the way Chad kept sneaking looks at him.

“You've worked for the Roosters before, right?” he asked, turning his head slightly in Chad's direction while still staring straight ahead. “Geoff said they recommended you.”

Chad shrugged, a light flush creeping onto his cheeks. “I do a couple things for them here and there, on a contract basis. I did rewire most of their hardware, though, so I know what I'm doing.”

Ryan hummed noncommittally. “Burnie wouldn't have send you otherwise.”

“I guess.” Chad ducked his head and smiled, something self-depreciating in his manner. “So, uh.” He glanced up from under his long fringe. “Where are we going first?”

Ryan mulled that over for a moment, stepping on the gas as the light finally changed to green. “The warehouse isn't too big. Would it help you to get an idea of what's at the hideouts first, or do you want to check out the warehouse and then wait for the parts you need?”

Chad chewed on his lip in thought, tossing his head to get the fringe out of his eyes. “The latter, I think. I have a basic toolset with me, I can start taking the tech apart and see what upgrades are needed. Matt mailed me all the specs ahead of time, so there shouldn't be many surprises, but it's always good to know what you're working with.”

“Alright,” Ryan agreed, taking a sharp turn. “Warehouse it is.”

The drive there was relatively short, since Ryan knew which streets to avoid during lunch hour. Two hired thugs were guarding the place, but they recognized Ryan's skull-painted face as he stepped closer. They didn't give them any trouble. Ryan gave Chad a short tour of the building, but it really was just a basic warehouse, and a small one at that. He understood why Geoff chose this one for a test, there wasn't anything irreplacable or too important stored here.

Chad got to work immediately, climbing up a ladder and checking the wiring on the cameras, before pulling them down with a few deft movements to take them apart on the ground.

Ryan settled in against the wall to watch him while he worked. At first, he mostly paid attention to what exactly he did, and when the new parts arrived half an hour later, what extra parts he added, what he switched out, that everything was put together properly. He didn't know too much about cameras and models, but he recognized the tech parts easily enough to notice whether or not the battery power connector was reconnected or not.

But the longer he stared, the more he caught his gaze drifting to the long, slender fingers skillfully twirling a screwdriver. The way Chad's arms flexed as he held a soldering gun, the way he deftly disassembled and reassembled all the tech of the warehouse, from the cameras over electronic locks to the fuse box.

“Don't want just anybody to open this bad boy up and blow the wires out,” Chad said cheerfully as he got to work. “But at the same time, you can't have it too complicated or you can't do any repair works.”

“You seem to know what you're doing,” Ryan remarked casually, leaning against the wall next to the box with his arms crossed.

“Been doing this for a while now,” Chad explained, shooting Ryan a grin. “I used to take apart my consoles as a kid. Drove my mother mad.”

“Sounds like fun,” Ryan drawled, cocking his head to the side. “Why not just add an electronic lock and call it done?”

“Now, that'd be the easy way out. How long does it take you to get past one of those electronic locks, Mr. Vagabond?”

“Not that long,” Ryan had to concede the point with a huff.

“Even less for a hacker, like Bragg. I'm sure with his help you'd get through that lock in a blink.” Chad blew the fringe out of his face, peering into the fuse box. “But I can't just mislabel the wires, either, and that'd still leave them vulnerable to pure destruction. So we're using a special casing for the wires, but first-”

Ryan listened to him babble on, quietly impressed. In the course of the afternoon, he picked up several new tricks to try the next time they had to break in somewhere.

He also picked up on something close to interest in the sideway glances directed at him.

Some curiousity was to be expected. Ryan had build quite a reputation as the Vagabond, and it wasn't like he was hiding his criminal identity from Chad. The facepaint was pretty much a dead giveaway, even if working for Geoff wasn't. But there was an undertone to his words, something flirty in the way he'd glance up from under his fringe to grin at him.

“All I'm saying is that surely the sun must have some sort of vendetta against me and my kind.”

“Your kind?” Ryan asked bemusedly.

“The kind that fucking hates the sun.” Chad shot him a look. “I burn up in like, ten seconds flat.”

“Ah,” Ryan intoned wisely, not quite able to hide his smirk. “The ginger kind.”

“Okay, first, screw you, and second-”

Ryan turned the thought over in his head.

Chad had a boyish charm and an addictive kind of enthusiasm. They'd talked an entire afternoon about a variety of topics, from a very enlightening discussion of gun preferences to whether or not a play was better read or watched. Now, sitting on the carpet of a tiny hole of an apartment while Chad rewired the last bit of security trip wires on the window, with the light making his ginger hair glow, Ryan let himself imagine what he would look like, spread out on his sheets in the morning sun.

“-hand me the screwdriver, please?” Chad asked, holding out his hand without looking at him. Ryan blinked, torn out of his daydreams and grunted in acknowledgement. Their fingers brushed as he handed the tool over, and Ryan lingered a bit longer than strictly necessary.

If Chad noticed, he didn't say.

“Anyway, you really should check them out. I swear, Japanese game shows are some of the funniest forms of entertainment out there,” Chad continued, before wincing. “And, granted, some of the most painful, too.”

“You seem weirdly obsessed with them,” Ryan replied dryly, feeling rather bemused. “And that says something, coming from the guy with a skull mask.”

“Well, you could get some new torture material from them,” Chad argued light-heartedly, before putting the screwdriver between his teeth. “Idsh ish n errtfomm in idshelf.”

“I understood less than half of that,” Ryan said, nonplussed. Then he tilted his head, contemplating the words. “I suppose the anticipation and the psychological effect of having to press a button themselves would heighten the fear response...”

Chad wordlessly handed him back the screwdriver, and Ryan realized with a start that he was finished. There were no more houses on their list for today, and tomorrow it wouldn't be Ryan watching their new tech expert. He had other duties to attend to.

Suddenly, he didn't want to leave just yet. Spend more time with this handsome man, exchange more fascinating stories.

“So what are your plans for the rest of the day?” Ryan asked idly, flipping the screwdriver over his knuckles. He didn't look up, not wanting to see Chad's face, but unable to watch him from the corner of his eyes.

“Dunno. Grab some food, I guess,” Chad said, glancing at his wristwatch. It was almost 6pm. “Any places you would recommend?”

Ryan hummed thoughtfully. “I know a few.” Then, a little more hesitantly, “I could show you around?”

Chad paused, looking up at Ryan and raising an eyebrow. Ryan stared back at him, fidgeting with the screwdriver nervously. Was that too forward? Slowly, the corners of Chad's mouth turned up, until he was grinning delightedly.

“It's a date.”

Impulsively, Ryan leaned in, tilting his head and pressing their lips together. Chad's eyes widened in surprise, before falling close, and he leaned into the kiss. One of his hands rose up, then stopped abruptly, and he let it drop again. Ryan felt the same sort of uncertainty, considering for a long, anxious second if he should cup the back of Chad's head, before settling his arm around his shoulders instead.

They kissed for what felt like forever, before Chad stepped back, smiling shyly. Ryan smirked back at him, fingers teasing over his cheek in a featherlight touch.

“It's a date,” he echoed.

**Author's Note:**

> Like it? Let me know! I'm always open to talk in comments or on [my tumblr](http://miss-ingno.tumblr.com/).


End file.
